Moving From 4 to 2 Wheels

As per other posts about advanced training....there is also RoSPA. Observed rides and suggestions for where you can improve are based on Motorcycle Roadcraft. Nothing to choose between them and IAM Both well worth doing as it has benefits beyond being a safer rider. Driving well puts less stress on you, less on your vehicleand will usually be more economic!
With RoSPA you have to do a 're-test' every three years and I find that keeps me on my toes as there is always a tendancy to allow bad habits to creep back.
Any advanced training you can do and then maintaining your higher standard is a good thing...same is true for other vehicles too.
People will often say you can get an insurance discount by having an advanced pass...I've never found that with my car or my motorbike (I've had RoSPA Gold on both for many years). Strangely I did the motorbike one after my car even though I used to instruct on motorbikes.
 
I quite fancy a DL650.

No bike currently, but in the "recent" past I've had 2 SV650's (sport & naked) and a range of sports bikes, the last being a 954cc FireBlade, along with a couple of big Italian vee twins.

I had a DL650 for a week while my naked SV was in for warranty work and found it really comfortable, plus, as my legs are short, it's the only "trail" type bike I could find that I was comfortable on.

Good luck, I did the Bikesafe training with the Met Police a couple of times, plus the IAM as well. You can't get enough training on bikes.
 
I did Bikesafe out of the Ace cafe, guess I road round your neck of the woods. Great day.
 
Canon brook said:
Nice bike....how / where will you carry the Camera gear......? I use foam in a top box or a camera bag that fits inside the top box but don’t leave it unattended.....
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I’ve got a top box and hard panniers. Plenty of storage.
 
MatBin said:
I did Bikesafe out of the Ace cafe, guess I road round your neck of the woods. Great day.
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Yep, I was about 15 minutes from the Ace, just outside of Uxbridge. I now live in deepest darkest Wiltshire on the borders with Dorset & Somerset, and I'm yearning for another bike!!

Need to go back to work so I can spend some money!
 
We just happened to be passing (well, almost passing!) our local Triumph dealer (absolutely NOTHING to do with me knowing that the new Triumph Rocket III had landed, honest yer'onner!) and felt the urge to slip in for a quick peek. Feels significantly lighter than the old one but I still prefer the look of the old version. Strangely, they have 2 old ones that they have taken in as PX against new ones and I could get both the 2nd hand ones and an older T100 for the price of one of the new ones and that's the standard new ones not the TFC (Triumph Factory Custom which is an extra 5 grand over the base model...) Might have to arrange a test ride when the weather improves.
 
Not had a bike for a few years now. I think it would now be too expensive to run a bike.
 
Just booked the next part of my direct access odyssey. Next day out training is Feb 13th. Then I'm out 18th, 19th, 20th. If that all goes well then I'll book the second and final part.
In other news I applied reflective tape to the top box and panniers, and ordered a disc lock to compliment the huge security chain I have.
 
My disc lock came as a freebie with a magazine (Bike) subscription. Retail price on the lock was more than 12 months subscription! I also have a ground anchor mounted through the concrete floor. Used longer/deeper fittings than supplied and glued the balls into the heads of the socket screws. Might not STOP the thieving b'stards but should help slow them down.
 
jonbeeza said:
Not had a bike for a few years now. I think it would now be too expensive to run a bike.
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What makes you say that. Purchase price or PCP on a bike is so much less than a car if you get a low mileage 2nd hand bike. Fuel cost will be lower given the right bike. Admittedly a 1000cc sports bike would be an expensive option but a 500 should be reasonable.
 
MatBin said:
What makes you say that. Purchase price or PCP on a bike is so much less than a car if you get a low mileage 2nd hand bike. Fuel cost will be lower given the right bike. Admittedly a 1000cc sports bike would be an expensive option but a 500 should be reasonable.
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Well my last bike that I had was the Kawasaki ZZR1100, I think it was about twelve years ago that I had my last bike. The insurance was not too bad, because of my age, I think the insurance was about £120 or something like that. The rear tyre only lasted about 4k or 6k miles, before it needed replacing, at a whopping £130 or something like that. Chain and sprockets I also had to replace, another silly amount of money. I remember when the exhaust needed replacing, it was an insane £1500 that I was quoted, more than the bike cost. I would put a tenner of fuel in it, and after a quick blast, within the speed limit of course, and after a few knee downs at a few roundabouts, the red light started flashing, asking for more fuel, it was a very thirsty bike. It was such a costly bike.

Way back in the 90s I had a Honda CG125, it was one of the most economical bikes to run. I felt as though I was getting nearly 100 miles per gallon. The full exhaust was only about £30 or so, and tyres cost about £20 each. Road tax was only very low also.

I bet the CG125 would be a little costly to run now though, batteries in the CG never lasted for very long.

Now if they still did a Honda C90, I just might think about it.
 
John you are absolutely correct big bikes do cost a lot to run but there are more economical options, possibly not so much of an adrenaline rush but like cameras do you need all those "features"? Go on, you know you want to. :)
 
MatBin said:
John you are absolutely correct big bikes do cost a lot to run but there are more economical options, possibly not so much of an adrenaline rush but like cameras do you need all those "features"? Go on, you know you want to. :)
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At the moment I don't have the time for biking, I also don't want the added expense of a motorbike, even an economical one. If I could get a little plodder bike, such as a Honda C90, that costs very little to run, then maybe. But those old C90's are all old now, and will probably require a lot of work, to keep them in good running order.
 
Cubs are stupid money these days too. Might find a cheap Chinese version that's affordable.
 
Well I failed my Mod 1 this morning on a silly error on my part. But do you know what, I don’t feel bad. I’ve learned so much and made so much progress over this past month that I know this is all part of the learning curve. Furthermore I’m really comfortable riding the 650cc bike in all conditions and on all types of roads.
Time to rebook and look forward to Mod 2.
 
Most of my bikes have been sports bikes, and Sunday morning blasts on a big V twin would see less than 100 miles to a tank. At least my Fireblade did about 140-150 on a tank of gas. Bikes are not just about being cheap to run, they cut through traffic, my commute into London was about 30 minutes on a bike, just over an hour by train (I did it in 20 minutes during one Christmas). Also, you can have more fun at 60mph on a bike than you can at 100mph in a car, although driving a JCW Mini around where I live is pretty good fun...

The thing that got me with bikes is the poor distance you can travel without filling up. Touring in Europe can be a real bind when you plan a 400 mile route in a day and have to fill up 4 times because your mates's Aprillia is drinking gas at an alarming rate!!!
 
Ricardodaforce said:
Well I failed my Mod 1 this morning on a silly error on my part. But do you know what, I don’t feel bad. I’ve learned so much and made so much progress over this past month that I know this is all part of the learning curve. Furthermore I’m really comfortable riding the 650cc bike in all conditions and on all types of roads.
Time to rebook and look forward to Mod 2.
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No idea what that is, or what it involves. When I passed my test it was CBT then, I had to go on a riding course, pass the CBT test, then go for the actual test.

PS

Keep at it, and don't give up. ;)
 
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Jelster said:
Most of my bikes have been sports bikes, and Sunday morning blasts on a big V twin would see less than 100 miles to a tank. At least my Fireblade did about 140-150 on a tank of gas. Bikes are not just about being cheap to run, they cut through traffic, my commute into London was about 30 minutes on a bike, just over an hour by train (I did it in 20 minutes during one Christmas). Also, you can have more fun at 60mph on a bike than you can at 100mph in a car, although driving a JCW Mini around where I live is pretty good fun...

The thing that got me with bikes is the poor distance you can travel without filling up. Touring in Europe can be a real bind when you plan a 400 mile route in a day and have to fill up 4 times because your mates's Aprillia is drinking gas at an alarming rate!!!
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I have tended to run "touring" bikes with 180/200 between fills and found I needed to get off an stretch my legs/bum anyway.
 
The Bobber does around 100 miles between refills under normal riding conditions but I seem to get closer to 120 out of a tank. Almost far enough given the fairly minimal padding on the seat! The Rocket was over 250 miles per tankful and far more comfortable. Never enjoyed sports bikes under legal speeds - far too much weight on the wrists for me to feel close to comfortable.
 
Ricardodaforce said:
Well I failed my Mod 1 this morning on a silly error on my part. But do you know what, I don’t feel bad. I’ve learned so much and made so much progress over this past month that I know this is all part of the learning curve. Furthermore I’m really comfortable riding the 650cc bike in all conditions and on all types of roads.
Time to rebook and look forward to Mod 2.
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When I passed my test, first off you got a licence from the Post Office (provisional) wrapped some L plates on the bike and away you went. Few months later for the official test you rode round the block a few times under observation from a bloke on the pavement and if you passed, hard to fail tbh, you pulled off the L plates and took your girl out on the back of the bike.
 
MatBin said:
When I passed my test, first off you got a licence from the Post Office (provisional) wrapped some L plates on the bike and away you went. Few months later for the official test you rode round the block a few times under observation from a bloke on the pavement and if you passed, hard to fail tbh, you pulled off the L plates and took your girl out on the back of the bike.
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Yes and 250cc was the limit, rather than 125cc. I remember riding around on a 250 Superdream back in the 80s, the slowest 250 on the road.
 
A Dream (let alone a Superdream) would run rings round a C15!

By the time I got round to taking my bike test, I'd been riding for longer than almost all the CBT instructors where I had to do my training. On the day of my test, it was so frosty and icy that the test centre had been trying to get hold of me to cancel but we weren't on the phone so they couldn't! I was given the option to take it or cancel for a free rescheduled date, took the test and sailed through. I knew when the emergency stop was going to be - the tester had wound his window down so I could see the fag smoke billowing out...
 
jonbeeza said:
Yes and 250cc was the limit, rather than 125cc. I remember riding around on a 250 Superdream back in the 80s, the slowest 250 on the road.
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Indeed but I had, as Nod did, a C15 BSA of '63 vintage, about the same power as a modern 125, probably twice the weight though, but it was my first love :)
As all first bike's should be.
 
It was Dad who had the C15. Mum made him sell it before I was old enough to ride it! My first bike (rather than moped) was a GP 100, followed by a CG 125, neither of which I loved - they were a means to an end (passing my test!) Did love the GS 550 until it died and love all the current stable. Have ridden a couple of C15s though - pigs compared to even the now elderly baby Japs I had!
 
Nod said:
It was Dad who had the C15. Mum made him sell it before I was old enough to ride it! My first bike (rather than moped) was a GP 100, followed by a CG 125, neither of which I loved - they were a means to an end (passing my test!) Did love the GS 550 until it died and love all the current stable. Have ridden a couple of C15s though - pigs compared to even the now elderly baby Japs I had!
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Oi, just a minute :)
 
Well, allegedly David Cameron loved a pig!!! (And K Hopkins is married...)
 
To be fair it handled better than the CD175 that followed it.
 
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